Bed Tax Collections are UP, Business Numbers DOWN

Who said the Summer White Sale wouldn’t work? Well, although I was quite critical of the PCB Summer White Sale, I don’t think I ever said, verbatim, that it flat out would not work. But did it? Well, the answer is actually quite a bit more complex than a simple yes or no. Of course, that’s what makes the answer so much fun.

In a recent article, the News Herald reported that so far this year, compared to the same period last year, the bed tax collections are up 3.5%. This is true, additionally I found from October 2006 to June 2007, the bed tax collections were up to $3,953,245.77 or 11.77%. The 2006 number of $3,537,045.14 is up 3.04% from October 2004 to June 2005, and the 2004 numbers were up 5.94%. And because I always hate reading stuff like this in a paragraph, I’m gonna put it all in a nifty table:

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Dr. Ed Wright, WestBayFlorida Blog – Last Post

Dr. Ed Wright, former Dean of FSU-PC and authority on the whole West Bay area, including economic development and the airport relocation, has posted his last post and article on his WestBayFlorida Blog.

I could summarize, but I could never duplicate the effect of the writing itself. Below is the last post, and below is his last article, The Future – It’s More Than Building a New Airport.

Ed, you’ll be sorely missed in our area and online.

I quote in its entirety:

I owe you all an apology for being AWOL for so long.

It’s not that there wasn’t any news – there certainly was. I had expected to take a short hiatus over Christmas and New Years and to think about a new direction for the newsletter focusing on the broader issues of economic development and the need to build a regional identity and marketing approach now that airport construction has gotten underway.

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The Future: It's More Than Building a New Airport

Again, I quote in its entirety, from Ed Wright:

As construction of the new airport proceeds on schedule, it is clear that we need to get busy putting all the other pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together. Approval of the airport relocation was key to approaching the vision for the West Bay Sector Plan and to realize its many different benefits to the region.

The following are thoughts about just some of the things that need to be underway:

The preservation of West Bay, by setting aside nearly 40,000 acres of conservation land, established a remarkable and unparallel public-private partnership and opportunity.

Currently the leading edge of this conservation effort is the planned Audubon Nature Center. The communities of Bay and Walton Counties and businesses and residents need to get behind the Audubon Society’s efforts to make this world-class Nature Center a reality. It has enormous potential for education, reputation, conservation, tourism, and (yes) economic development as well.

A coordinated growth and land use plan for development that involves the counties adjacent to Bay County and contiguous to the West Bay Sector Plan is needed.

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Jerry Ray Discusses New Airport on HomeAwayPodcast.com

Jerry Ray, the Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances for the St. Joe Company, was interviewed this week on the HomeAwayPodcast site. The topic of discussion was the new airport and what it is going to do for our area.

Jerry starts by giving an account of the history of St. Joe and where it all began. He continues by giving the history of the airport relocation project, how it all started and discusses the process it has gone through thus far.

You can listen to it by downloading it, or listen to it online.

Coastal Vision 3000 Presentation on The Beach at New Airport Site

Coastal Vision 3000 takes off with Milestone Presentation at Panama City – Bay County International Airport Site

PANAMA CITY – Nearly 100 Northwest Florida business and community leaders came together today as officials with Coastal Vision 3000, a non-profit organization focused on marketing the region, and the Panama City – Bay County International Airport discussed future economic and growth opportunities for the area. The open-forum gathering, which was held under a tented meeting space at the site of the future airport, currently the only airport under construction in the country, was lead by Davage “Buddy” Runnels, chairman of Coastal Vision 3000 and chairman of the Destin-based The Sterling Companies.

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Crist OKs State Funding Allocation for the Panama City Airport

On Wednesday, Governor Charlie Crist signed a $66 billion budget that included $12 million for the construction of the new Panama City Bay County International Airport and the road that connects it from Highway 388.

The Panhandle Citizens Coalition had written a letter to Crist explaining why he should veto the funding for the new airport citing, as reported by the News Herald, that the airport was voted against in a non-binding referendum and that it has been under litigation.

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